The School For Wives at the Ancon Theatre, Panama City

Every man dreams of finding the perfect wife. A woman who can cook, sew, clean and tend to his every need. She would be beautiful, a bit naïve and have eyes only for her master, the king of her castle. But in the event that fate doesn’t send one his way perhaps a man could create his own? This is the premise behind Moliere’s play, “The School For Wives.” Presented by The Theatre Guild Of Ancon this light-hearted comedy is a modern adaptation of the play originally staged in 1662.

The main character Arnolphe is a wealthy, conniving old kook who’s convinced that the only way to find a faithful wife is to train one. He finds a young lass named Agnes who he sends off to a convent to be schooled in the ways of wifery. The education he pays for is absent from any real knowledge since he wants his wife to be innocent and lacking in the ways of the world. As soon as Agnes is of marrying age he summons her to his castle where she’s held captive, unbeknownst to her. But one day Agnes happens to step outside on her balcony and has a chance encounter with a man passing by. Since this ignorant, fair maiden has no idea that she’s betrothed to Arnolphe, she innocently falls in love with the other man.

Outraged, Arnolphe tries everything to make the suitor disappear while he desperately tries to make Agnes his bride. The only thing the old kook doesn’t try is to woo her in the typical way, with romance, flowers and niceness. As he continues to organize the wedding an uncanny twist of events thwart his plans leading to an unlikely ending. Perhaps the moral of the story is that good wives are born out of love and not created through trickery and deceit.

Founded in 1950 by a group of Panamanian American citizens, The Theatre Guild of Ancon is the oldest continuously operating theatre in Panama. Back on the old Canal Zone, this building housed a clinic to treat venereal disease. If the walls could talk they’d probably have some good tales to tell. This non-profit organization offers a variety of stage productions in English every season. Several actors started on this stage including Robert Loggia and Ruben Blades along with director Bruce Quinn.

A great line-up of shows for the 2013 season include:

Improve 8 Returns – April 18 - May 4
Point Break Live – June 20 - June 29
Deep Fried Comedy III – August 8 – August 24
Rocky Horror Picture Show – October 17 – November 2
George Orwell’s 1984 – November 24 – December 6

Donations are just $15 at the door or can be reserved online at http://anconguild.com / Discounts are offered to pensionados too.